Hybrid Rainbows and Instant Music
by the Raven of Roses
Summary: Its been three years. Three years since Haruhara Haruko came to Mabase on her Vespa. Three years and the town has already forgotten. To lose your memories is to lose a part of yourself...
1. Things Forgotten

12-20-05

Can you feel? Can you feel that hybrid rainbow?

Naota slouched into his house, book bag slung over his shoulder. He heaved his burden onto a chair, which creaked in protest of the unexpected weight, and sighed. Another day wasted at school.

Kanti looked up from his work at the sink, and the expression on Naota's face motivated him to approach with a half-dried bowl in hand. Naota glared darkly at him, but he refused to go away.

"Kanti, go finish the dishes. I'm going up to my room. Homework."

The screen that was Kanti's head flashed a question mark, but Naota ignored it. Stupid robots. Always wanting you to tell them your problems. Naota pushed past him and went upstairs.

The first thing he saw when he opened his door was a giant poster of a baseball player. Naota sighed. He missed having his own room, and it had only been a week. His brother had showed up telling the family all about how he was only visiting for a month or two. Then came the suitcases, and Naota knew he wasn't leaving anytime soon.

The town, of course, received him like a hero. It wasn't every day that a baseball legend came to stay in Mabase. In fact, Tasku coming to Mabase was about the most interesting thing that had happened since...well, since the town could remember.

Naota really didn't think it was that great. Haruko's short stay seemed to have been a lot more interesting. But then again, nobody remembered Haruko anymore.

"Hey, bro, could you give me a minute?" called Tasku from behind the door, throwing a hand out to Keep Naota back.

Naota heard the giggling of a girl, and he turned around. One of Tasku's little fan club must have come over. And judging by the pair of panties on the doorknob, they must be having a good time. He threw the underwear back into the room and closed the door.

Kanti looked up when he heard Naota trudging back down the stairs. Another question mark flitted across the screen. Naota sat down at the table and grabbed a loaf of bread. Kanti sat down in the chair across from him, patiently watching him eat.

"Why'd you let my brother's fangirl in here, huh?" snapped Naota in a rush, and he threw the bread at Kanti. "Did you think he _needs_ another little prostitute around?"

_You are unhappy?_

"Well what do YOU think?"

_I thought you were happy that your brother came back._

Naota sneered at the robot, unaware that it was communicating via telepathy.

"Yeah. I'm so happy that my star brother came back to gloat in my face and have sex in my room with every underage girl in town."

_We haven't merged in a long time. I miss fighting. Do you miss fighting?_

Naota's mouth hung open, words of fury dying in his throat. Is that what was wrong with him? He missed the thrill of fighting? Did Naota crave the raw adrenaline that came with placing his life on the line in spectacular battle? That robot could sure come up with uncomfortable statements sometimes.

"Um."

_Naota does miss fighting? Then let's merge. We'll go away and find something to fight against._

"Leave Mabase? Nobody can leave Mabase."

_Except your brother. And Haruko._

"Shut up!"

Naota stood and made to stalk out of the house. Halfway there, he stopped and turned back to the table. Sniffling quietly, he slunk back to the table and sat down.

"Besides, my brother came back," he muttered, darkly glaring at the ceiling.

_It's been three years. Three years since Haruhara Haruko showed up on her vespa with her bass guitar. Everything has changed. Everything is the same in Mabase. At least, that's what the residents will tell you. Nothing amazing ever happens in Mabase. Only the ordinary, mundane stuff. Even the medical Mechanica plant has stopped working, moved away. The people here will tell you it never existed. It's all a part of their programming. Forget anything interesting that happens. Nothing amazing ever happens in Mabase._

Kanti watched Naota's fingers skitter across the keyboard as it typed out the latest entry to his online journal. He was right. Kanti couldn't remember the last time something big happening that other people around him didn't forget about.

"Stop staring at me," muttered Naota, clicking the "update" button. "It's weird."

_Gomen. _

Tasku stumbled down the stairs into the kitchen, upsetting the cat who was perched on the bottom step. His latest girlfriend followed close behind, clad in what appeared to be a pair of naota's old pajamas.

"Yo, bro," Tasku called from the direction of the refrigerator. "Do we have any orange juice?"

"Look yourself."

"Oh, Tasku, your brother is so mean!" pouted the girl, tugging at Tasku's arm. "Let's get dressed and go out for breakfast."

"Yeah, whatever." Tasku shot his brother a look that clearly said _Women. What are you gonna do with them?_

Naota glared and went back to the laptop.


	2. Riverside

The bridge was deserted, just as it had been since before Naota could remember. He got the nagging feeling that something was missing, but he dismissed it like he always did. Such was the nature of Mabase. He picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could towards the water. It disappeared below the surface with a barely audible plunk, the little remaining sound lost to the current before it reached his ears.

Kanti ambled up. His heavy, metallic step alerted Naota to the robot's presence before he could see him. Naota sighed, irritated at the intrusion. He moved closer to the riverbank, trying to keep as much distance as possible between him and Kanti.

_Thinking about something?_

"No, Kanti. I'm just watching the sunset. It's easiest to see from here." Naota kicked another rock into the river.

_You come down here a lot._

"I know. Stop bugging me about it, will you?"

_Gomen._

"Don't you 'gomen' me, Kanti. And why are you following me around all the time?" Naota's eyes narrowed.

_I don't really have anything better to do, do I?_

"I guess not. But couldn't you go wandering around the city or something? Following me isn't the most interesting thing you could do."

_Wasn't there a girl who used to hang out around here?_

Kanti plodded up and down the riverbank, as if reinforcing a shaky memory. Characters and numbers flashed across his screen, blurring with the speed of scrolling through a near-endless stream of data. Something was missing in his memory banks, he was sure of it. All he had was a sliver of data about a slightly spacey teenager who used to skip class to hang out by the river.

"I dunno. Probably some runaway or something." Naota shrugged. What he didn't remember wasn't important.

_Do you remember Medical Mechanica?_

"Of course I do. It moved away a few years ago after Haruko and I stopped it from taking over the universe."

_There was someone else there, too. I think I lost part of my data. Or maybe my core is just malfunctioning._

"Why are you talking in my head?" asked Naota abruptly, turning around so fast he nearly fell into the river.

_Well, I don't really have a mouth, do I? How else am I supposed to communicate with you?_

"Good point." Naota sighed. "I hate living here. I keep forgetting things. I read back in my journal a few days ago. There's lots of stuff in there I don't remember happening. Things about Haruko. And about some girl named Mamimi. Do you think Haruko put crack in my curry while she was here?"

_I highly doubt it. Haruko seemed more the type to put ecstasy in your curry._

"Thanks. That made me feel a lot better."

Naota glared at Kanti, who looked like he would have been laughing, had any external speakers been wired to him. Something uncomfortable shifted inside him, and he wondered if maybe Kanti was right. Data did seem to be missing. He tried to think of exactly how Kanti had come to live with his family…and cracks appeared in the memories.

"Kanti, I want you to start keeping a journal online," Naota instructed, quickly making his way away from the riverbank. "Put anything you remember about Haruko and that Mamimi girl into it in the first entry. Everyone forgets things here. I don't want your data to go along with everyone else's."

_So you agree, I take it?_

"Yeah, whatever. We should leave. It's dark."

Kanti stared expressionlessly at Naota until he was forced to turn and leave. The teenager's footsteps thudded dully on the wet ground, while Kanti's tread came light and hollow. The pair walked in silence back to the bakery, lost in their own thoughts.

_The smell of dirt. Pain concentrated around the head area. Blocked vision. Voices. A sensation of leaving earth and crashing into the ground. A yellow Vespa motorbike. Bass guitar. Haruhara Haruko and Samejima Mamimi. _

Naota awoke with a start, nearly falling out of his bed. His forehead struck the wooden bottom of his brother's bunk with a resounding thud that shook the frame. Tasku grunted something that sounded like a curse, but he didn't wake up.

What was he dreaming about again? Something about being hit with a motorbike. Or maybe it was a guitar. Whatever it was, it had left him.

Naota rubbed at his sore head, a strange, alien apprehension rising up inside him. Nothing happened, but he got the feeling something had before. Something having to do with Kanti's introduction to Naota's life.

Dammit. Why couldn't he just _remember?_

Naota sighed and looked at the clock. Just past 4am. Well, no sense in sleeping now that his mind was fully awake. He slipped out of bed and donned a pair of slippers. Stupid cold floors.

_You had a bad dream?_

Naota yelped in spite of himself, nearly tumbling over Kanti's crouched form. A muffled curse and a loud crash, and Naota succeeded in knocking over a chair. Tasku leapt out of bed, forgetting that he was on the top bunk. The resulting thud brought their father up. He in turn tripped over Naota and landed hard on the overturned chair.

"What's all this racket!" shouted Naota's grandfather from his room.

"Nothing!" answered Naota, his head pressed firmly against the floorboards. "I just tripped over a chair."

"Naota!" snapped Tasku, climbing shakily back into his bunk. "What the hell were you thinking, making all that noise at….4am? Jesus. I'm going back to sleep."

Naota's father left the room, but not until he gave the boys a stern lecture on how if they wanted to sneak out of the house, it was just fine. But they had to be more _quiet_ about it. No one had noticed Kanti hiding in the corner.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" hissed the boy once his brother was asleep. "Why are you in my room at 4am talking to me?"

_I'm sorry. I just thought you were thinking about those girls. The…I think her name was Mamimi, right?_

"I think so." Naota rubbed his head. "Kanti, do you remember what happened to my head when Haruko showed up?"

_I…my memory banks do not have the data. All I remember is that we merged. And fought evil robots. I'd like to fight robots again. But no new ones come to Mabase anymore._

"I hate living here. I feel like I'm going senile."

Naota sighed and left his room. Kanti followed close behind, making much less noise than the teenager.

"Medical Mechanica."

The alien words stung Naota's tongue as they erupted from his throat. He stopped, suddenly aware of how loud the sound had been. Something flared up inside him and was gone. What was Medical Mechanica? It seemed to have some significance. But the specific reason…he couldn't locate it.

_I think we should keep better records of our pasts. This place frightens me. Losing memories means we lose a part of ourselves. Those people outside are shells. I don't want us to become like them._

Naota shivered. Kanti was right. He pulled his laptop from a shelf in the kitchen and turned it on. Time to update his journal.

_I think I'm forgetting things. Kanti's losing data from his memory banks, and I can barely remember Haruko. In fact, I didn't until I read back on my other entries. This place is eating away at me. It's so strong, even a robot can't escape it. As Kanti said, those people outside are shells. I think if I stay here long enough, I'll be a shell, too. That scares me. I don't want to be a shell._

Naota clicked update, and the entry saved forever to his account. He checked for any new comments, and surprisingly, someone had actually posted one on his last entry.

_You're right_ it read. _Nothing amazing happens in that town of yours. Why do you think Mamimi left? That place is diseased. Get out while you can._

And it was signed _Haruhara Haruko._

Naota felt a chill run down his spine. Haruko? Could that really be her? Most likely it was someone who was just trying to mess with his mind.

Then he caught the post-script.

_Remember, Takkun. Mouth to mouth._

author's note: ello, mes amis. happy holidays to you all. sorry about the short chapters. >. im just having a bit of a rough time thinking up stuff to write. anyway, just a comment on this fic. i decided that i need to get out of doing ONLY jthm/zim-related fics. furi kuri rocks, and i was in the mood to write soemthing a little more abstract. if you can call it that. anyway, hope you enjoyed this latest installment of this fic, and do review if you feel inclined to do so.

-raven, your friendly neptunian pyro

(white ash-the pillows)


	3. Heaven's Rock

A week went by. Nothing. Naota began to forget even receiving the comment, but he forced himself to read it at least once a day. It was proof that Haruko existed. He read it out loud to himself late on the seventh night, chanting as though it were some strange and fantastical incantation.

Mamimi….who was Mamimi? Haruko knew her, and it sounded like Naota did, too. But he just couldn't remember…

Kanti quietly opened the door to Naota's room and slipped inside. He waited patiently for the human to notice him. What appeared to be a character of amusement flashed across his screen when Naota looked over and fell off of the bed.

"Goddammit, Kanti, don't scare me like that!" snapped Naota, struggling to untangle his limbs from the laptop.

_I am sorry. It's just that I found something while I was cleaning out the broom closet. It must have been from awhile ago._

He held out a photograph, worn and crinkled at the edges. Naota took it cautiously, fingers trembling. He didn't know quite why, but the thing filled him with an uneasy apprehension. The photo was of a young boy and an older girl, their heads squished together so that they would both fit in the frame. Naota recognized the girl's shaggy mop of brown hair and her mischievous expression.

"Mamimi," he deadpanned.

_I thought so. She looks different than I thought. But maybe I'm getting her confused with Haruko._

Naota nodded mutely and stuffed the photo in his pocket.

"I'm going to get a can of soda," he announced, turning off the laptop. "You can leave now."

Kanti waited until Naota left before turning on the laptop and downloading more data to his online journal.

Naota tried to think. Haruko. What did she look like? Yellow hair—no, pink hair, yellow motorbike. A Vespa? No, wait, maybe it was pink, too. She had goggles—maybe they were yellow. He had to check back at his journal.

Shit. What was the password?

"Kanti!"

The robot burst into the room, a towel and a dripping plate in hand. He looked about the room, perplexed, for any sign of danger. Finding none, he sat down in the desk chair opposite Naota's bed.

_What is it? You look distraught._

"I can't remember the password to my journal," snapped Naota, rubbing at his temples. "Did you have it in your memory somewhere?"

Kanti looked away. Gears ground in his head, and he sat still for a long time. Finally, he looked up, defeated.

_My data is faulted. I can't remember what the password is. I think I can remember the account's name, though. Isn't it "HeavensRock"?_

"Yeah…and the password! It was….terminal, right?" Naota jumped up. "Kanti, go get my laptop. I need to check something."

Kanti moved to get up, and Naota put out a hand to stop him.

"By the way, Kanti, I want you to put that information in the safest place in your data. I don't want to lose it again."

Kanti nodded and took off.

There were new comments. A user called "WhiteAsh" seemed very eager to give their opinion on Naota's entries. Haruko had only left one more comment.

_Your brother's back? Sounds just like your dad. Maybe I should come back and visit you, Takkun._

Naota blushed furiously. Kanti glanced at him questioningly, but in a surprising display of common sense, chose not to say anything. He just watched Naota scroll down to "WhiteAsh"'s comments.

_Tasku's back? But I thought he was leaving forever!_

_He's got a new girlfriend. A lot of them, it looks like. People never change, do they? I need to go play with fire some more._

_Mamimi is sorry she had to leave, Takkun. But it was so hard for her to stay…she hopes you understand._

Naota shivered. He quickly closed out of the journal and turned off his laptop. Suddenly, he didn't feel much like updating.

Author's note: sorry about the short chapters, kids. its just that i want to update often, and i dont get much time to write...anyway, this is NOT the end. i realize this is getting kind of drawn out, too, so ill try and end it quickly. or at least get some sort of super-ninja action in there or something.

anyway, mes amis, have fun.

"Can you feel?  
Can you feel that hybrid rainbow?  
Even we, who weren't chosen up till yesterday  
Are waiting for tomorrow"


	4. Stalker

"_Hey, Kanti."_

_Haruko passed the robot a wrapped bit of curry bread. He took it wordlessly as always, and consumed it without complaint. The cat Takkun found refuge in his jacket, but he didn't seem to mind._

_"I feel kinda bad for leaving Naota like that," admitted Haruko, "but Kanti just happened to be around._

_"Besides," added Mamimi, " it would have been bad if Kantido-sama was there when Naota forgot about him."_

_"Do you think he's forgotten already?" scrolled across Kanti's screen._

_"I dunno. Maybe," drawled Haruko, chewing thoughtfully on a chunk of curry bread. "I guess we'll find out once we catch him."_

_01010101_

"Shit. I gotta get out of here."

Naota threw clothing and money into his book bag, sparing only a glance to make sure everything landed in the right place. Without looking, he grabbed the bag and sprinted downstairs.

The house was empty. Naota had no trouble getting out. He pondered for a moment which way he wanted to go, then decided to just head for the river. The sun was setting, and it would be easier to follow the current than a road.

As the last bloody rays of a dying star vanished beyond the horizon, Naota broke into a run. The river stretched out before him, widening now. It blinded him, its waters turned bloody even as the sky faded to violet. He pushed himself harder, forcing his already weary legs into a sprint.

Suddenly, glaring headlights froze him to the spot. Naota's angry muscles forced him to sit down, gasping for air. He heard a car door slam, and a uniformed adult appeared in front of him.

It turned out Naota had been running parallel to a road. The police officer who spotted him tagged him as a runaway and drove him home, ignoring the boy's protests. His father hadn't even noticed his disappearance, and Tasku hadn't gotten home.

Naota returned to his room after dinner, his queasy stomach threatening to release everything he had just eaten. He fell asleep trying desperately to remember everything about his companions—friends?

And the next morning, Naota awoke to find that everything was exactly the same.

01010101

Author's note: dun dun DUN. things dont look good, do they? never fear, another update will come soon. sorry for the shortness of the chapter; i wanted to update soon, and i didnt like cutting this chapter off any other place. so please bear with me until i can get some longer updates, k? thanx, mes amis. enjoy.

-raven, your friendly neptunian maniac


	5. Stalker Goes to Babylon

Weeks later, there came a knock at the bakery door. Naota answered it, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Who came to a bakery at three in the morning?

Three odd-looking strangers stood in the doorway. A pink-haired Raver girl, a brown-haired girl in a high school uniform, and a robot with a television for a head. Naota blinked at them, not really certain if he was awake or dreaming.

"What do you want?" he asked after a long silence. "And who are you people?"

"Shit," muttered the pink-haired one. "He forgot already."

"What do we do?" whispered the other girl.

"I don't know. I wasn't planning on this."

"Maybe we should hit him over the head with something."

"That's not going to help him any!"

"Um, excuse me," Naota said from between clenched teeth, "but why are you muttering like that?"

The pink-haired girl suddenly snapped to attention, jolting a few inches away from her companions. Raising a hand in a robotic salute, she grinned.

"Haruhara Haruko reporting!" she yelped, whipping a bass guitar from a case on her back. "First-class space patrol officer!"

"Uh-huh. There's a psychiatrist living on the next block. You should try talking to him," offered Naota, ready to close the door.

The robot, sensing his intention, clamped one metal hand on the edge of the door, leaving marks where his fingers were. Naota made a feeble attempt to loosen his grip, then made for the telephone. The robot caught him up with the other hand and held him a few inches above the ground.

"What the hell is this thing doing?" grunted Naota, swinging wildly at the three invaders. "Get it away from me!"

"You really don't remember us…" sighed the one called Haruko.

Every trace of amusement drained out of her, leaving imaginary puddles of color on the pavement. As Naota watched, her shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. And when she smiled again, there was no trace of the better emotions in her eyes.

"I thought you'd be able to resist it. After all, your head still has something I need." She gave a humorless laugh. "I shouldn't have thought I could depend on a kid like you."

Something stirred in Naota's head. A memory struggling for air. And then his conscious mind pushed it back down, drowning it again. He glared at the three before him, his mind struggling to recover what was lost, his instinct trying to kill it.

"Can we hit him with something heavy now?" asked the high-schooler.

"No, Mamimi," sighed Haruko, irritated. "No, we can't hit him with anything. Got it?"

Mamimi pouted and sat down on the edge of the step.

"Look," muttered Naota, still dangling from the robot's iron grip. "If I let you in, will you make the tin man put me down?"

"Sure, whatever." Haruko nodded to the robot. "Kanti, put him down."

Kanti obeyed, dropping Naota immediately. The boy's legs crumpled beneath him, and he cursed loudly. The one called Haruko let out a muffled bark of laughter.

Naota ignored her and stood. Gritting his teeth, he motioned the three inside.

"Wow, this place hasn't changed at all," snorted Haruko, running a finger over the back of a chair. "I see the dishes need cleaning, though. Amazing what three weeks without Kanti will do to you."

"Three weeks without…what are you on?" asked Naota, suddenly suspicious.

"Earth, I think," answered Mamimi, her brow furrowed.

"Don't think, Mamimi. You'll injure yourself." Haruko patted her on the head and smiled. "Sorry about Samejima. She's trying to quit smoking. She'll be fine in a couple of weeks."

"Naota-kun!" called his father, entering the room without a glance at the three guests. "Did you take out the trash?"

"These people are crazy," announced Naota, jabbing a thumb in Haruko's direction. "Are they friends of yours?"

Naota's father did a double-take. Naota noticed with a degree of embarrassment that his gaze rested on Haruko's chest.

"No, I don't believe we've met before," he admitted slyly. "But I really would like to get to know _you_, my pink-haired angel."

Haruko grinned and pretended to blush. "You flatter me."

"What. The. Hell." Naota took a step back. "You're all crazy."

He _My sentiments exactly._

Naota jumped. He glanced at Kanti, who was standing next to him, with an expression of disbelief and fear. Kanti shrugged by way of explanation.

_We used to merge, remember? _Kanti's blank screen stared at Naota with a frightening intensity. _Don't you remember?_

"Dad, the robot is talking to me," stammered Naota, backing away. "It's really freaking me out."

But his father was too busy wooing Haruko. Mamimi looked on with a bored confusion, and Kanti still kept staring at Naota. Finally, Naota gave up and ran for it.

x.x

a/n: sry, had to replace this chappie. >. realized id accidentally copied the last chappie into it. geh. ah well. should be good now.


	6. Ending Theme: Ride on Shooting Star

Mist settled on the river, covering it in a shroud of uncertainty. Naota imagined that it mirrored his own thoughts, that somehow he had a psychic connection to the water flowing on its endless journey round the world. The river whispered candidly to him, brushing buried memories with a chilling, yet gentle touch.

What was going on? Naota's ordered world had just been interrupted by the abrupt appearance of three strangers. First his own brother had thrown him into chaos, and now these…things.

But were they strangers? The one called Haruko in particular seemed to think she knew him. Naota struggled to sort out his muddied thoughts. Absorbed as he was, he didn't notice the thing sneaking up on him until it was standing right beside him.

_Haruko says you don't remember._

Naota jumped, stepping away from the robot.

_But your mind is still open to my thoughts. I don't think you would have been able to hear me if you truly forgot me._

Kanti put a hand on Naota's shoulder and gently sat him down on the grassy riverbank. Then he settled down beside him, and Naota found himself staring into the blank screen that was Kanti's head.

_You remember merging. That moment when our minds became one in the same. That moment when you gained control of powers hidden deep within the both of us. I know you remember. The mark is still in your eyes._

Naota felt himself being drawn in by the robot's fantastic words. Hypnotically, they captured his mind and sparked something in the darkest corners of his mind. And when Kanti's screen lit up with an alien symbol and he began to lean closer to him, Naota wasn't afraid.

_Tasku._

Haruko smiled from her Vespa, looking out at the scarlet beam of light that had just appeared on the river's edge. Mamimi and Takkun, riding behind her, made no comment as they neared the mist.

Standing near the water and looking off into the distance stood a thing that was neither Kanti nor Naota. Gleaming red metal burned the eyes to stare at directly, but still Haruko drank it in. This was what she had been hoping for.

"Do you remember?" she asked softly, leaving her bike behind and approaching him. "Do you remember now?"

"I'm sorry, Haruko," sighed the thing that was Atomsk. "Apologize to the boy for me."

"I will."

There came an eternity of silence, and Atomsk spoke again.

"You know you're just a child, Haruko."

The words stung more than any physical attack.

"Using the boy like that. Even if he and Kanti were meant to merge, it was unfair of you to steal his mind. It's greatly damaged him, you know."

"I went through all of this to talk to you, and the first thing you do is chastise me." Haruko laughed humorlessly. "How typical of you, Atomsk."

He still wouldn't look at her. Haruko strained to see his face, and when she beheld the empty eyes of the pirate king, her heart stilled in her chest. _No emotion._

"You have the remarkable talent of destroying everything you touch, Haruko. I want you to leave this place—"

"But I can't just go!" interjected Haruko, pleading even in her anger.

"You didn't let me finish. I want you to leave this city in ruins. For once, put your curse to use. When the city is burned to the ground, perhaps something better will rise from the ashes." He turned to Mamimi and took her hand. "You, my little pyromaniac, will find this task to be quite amusing, I'm sure."

Mamimi nodded, her lips moving but her voice gone.

"Haruko, please don't hurt Naota again." Atomsk rubbed at his temples. "He is meant to be with the one who couldn't leave him."

"What about you?" demanded Haruko. "When will I see you?"

"In due time." He gently brushed his fingertips across her forehead. "But for now, I must go. Naota is tiring. Keeping a channel open for much longer would put him in danger. Farewell."

Atomsk faded away, and with it, the crimson glow. Kanti and Naota crumpled to the ground, unmoving. And Haruko wiped away her tears and picked the boy up.

"Mamimi," she sighed, "go set your fires. I'll be with you in a moment."

Haruko quietly picked up the guitar that lay in Naota's loosely curled fingers. An experimental pluck of the strings set forth an echo like nothing she'd ever heard before. Memories trapped within them whispered to her, traces of the pirate king.

Haruko laughed to herself and wiped away the solitary tear that had escaped from her eye. Naota stirred, and she quickly placed her own guitar in his grasp. He quieted, and Haruko left him to help Mamimi purge the city.

X.X

One day, Naota woke up on the back of Haruko's motorbike heading God-knows-where to discover that Mabase…

Was gone.


End file.
